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    A powerful weapon in the right hands? how members of parliament have used freedom of information in the UK

    Worthy, Benjamin (2014) A powerful weapon in the right hands? how members of parliament have used freedom of information in the UK. Parliamentary Affairs 67 (4), pp. 783-803. ISSN 1460-2482.

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    Abstract

    This article examines the extent to which the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) is used by members of the UK Parliament to hold the government to account, compared with the experience in New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Ireland. As with other accountability mechanisms, FOI can be used for a range of issues. It is primarily a tool of opposition and can be a versatile weapon, useful in the right time and place. However, it does not significantly enhance accountability and remains a minority pursuit. This is because FOI takes time, members are creatures of habit and it is useful only in particular ways.

    Metadata

    Item Type: Article
    School: Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences
    Research Centres and Institutes: Birkbeck Centre for British Political Life
    Depositing User: Sarah Hall
    Date Deposited: 05 Nov 2013 11:03
    Last Modified: 02 Aug 2023 17:08
    URI: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/8689

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